Oxford Dictionary English essential oil nounnoun BrE BrE//ɪˌsenʃl ˈɔɪl// ; NAmE NAmE//ɪˌsenʃl ˈɔɪl// Add to my wordlistjump to other resultsan oil taken from a plant, used because of its strong smell for making perfume and in aromatherapySee essential oil in the Oxford Advanced American DictionaryCheck pronunciation: essential oil oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com